Guide for vine cutters



April 8, 1930.

G. MQCREADY GUIDE FOR vnm cu'rwsns Filed Feb. 24, 1928 Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES GEORGE LEE MOCREADY, F PARKSLEY, VIRGINIA GUIDE FOR VINE GUTTERS Application filed February 24, 1928. Serial No. 256,558.

This invention relates to improvements in vine cutters and has particular reference to the provision of a guide device for machines of this character whereby during thetravel of the machine between the rows the same may be readily held in a substantially vertical position so the cutters will be maintained in proper positions at the sides of the hills to effectively cut the vines and not be raised or is lowered as they are advanced because of the side rocking of the machine,

It is immaterial to the present invention as to just what form of vine cutter be employed as the cutter and its mounting may be changed and modified to a marked degree and the invention may be applied to many of the vine cutters now in use where a runner is employed.

The invention is illustrated in the accom- Ei) panying drawing, wherein,

Fig. 1. shows a vine cutter in side elevation with my improved guide device attached thereto.

Fig. 2. illustrates a vertical sectional detail through the same,the section being taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and shows the device in position between hills.

3. shows a. similar view but with the guides adjusted and brought closer toward T7 the side of the runner, and r Fig. 4;. illustrates in perspective a portion of the runner and the two guide devices adjustably attached thereto.

The vine cutter structure illustrated is the 3 same as that disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States 815,203 granted March 13th, 1906, and is merely selected as one form of cutter-structure to which the improvement may readily be applied but the invention is in no way to be restricted to the form of machine shown.

In the machine shown there is a beam 5, having two vertical slots 6 and 7,.-one in advance of the other and with a suitable handle device Satta-ched to the beam and extending rearwardly therefrom.

A single runner-bar 9 is employed and the forward end of this bar curves upwardly at 10, and extends up through the vertical slot 6 in the beam where it is adjustably secured by means of perforations 11 in the bar and a cross-bolt 12, which extends through the beam.

The runner also has a second bar 13 extending vertically therefrom near the rear thereof and this latterbar extends through the vertical slot 7 of the beam and isalso vertically adjustable by means of a series of perforations 1d and a cross-bolt15.

The cutters 16 are carried as usual on suitable rods or arms 17 which are adjustably held in suitablebrackets 18 at the side of the beam so the positions of the cutters at the sides of the beam may be varied in that they may be carried close to or swung outwardly from the-sides of the beam.

All of these features are old and 'well known and are not in themselves claimed herein.

I have found that in practice the handles 8 are frequently tilted which causes the beam and runner to tilt with the result that the cutter at one side of the beam will dig into the side of the hill while the cutter at the opposite side will be elevated and'thus fail to get under and cutthe vines, and I have therefore attached to the structure a means that, extends at opposite sides of the runner and bear against the sides of the hills which will hold the runner and beam upright andmaintainthe'cutters in proper position to effectively engage and cut the vines.

W iilethe guides may be arranged in various ways, I have, found it quite satisfactory to attach them to the opposite sides of the runner bar and have them extendoutwardly and diverge from said bar. 1

'In'some instances, the hills may be deeper than others and the guides should therefore be capable of adjustment so as to permit them to be spread more or less with respect to the runner.

' In the present instance, I form the guides toward or away from the sides of the runner and make them suitable for use between higher or lower hills 23.

In the present instance, the convex sides 21 of the guide-bar ends are positioned at opposite sides of the tip-turned end 10 of the runner, and said guide-bar ends are secured in their properly-adjusted positions by a pair of U-shaped clamps 24 one above the other.

Obviously, by loosening-up on the lower clamp and tightening the upper clamp the two guide-bars may be swung outwardly from the sides of the runner while a reverse adjustment of the clamps will cause the guidebars to swing inwardly toward the runner.

The supporting portions 19 of the guidebars extend rearwardly toward but preferably terminate in front of the point-ends of the cutters 16, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. 7

By reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, it will be seen that the runner travels in the valley 25 while the supporting portions 19 of the, guide-bars bear against the'sides of the hills 23 so as to aid in keeping the runner vertical and thus maintain the cutters 16 in substantially the same horizontal plane at opposite sides of the runner.

Having described my invention, I claim,-

1. The combination with a vine cutter having a runner-bar to travel between the rows, of a guide-bar having a convex end to seat against the side of the runner-bar and means for clamping the convex end of the guide-bar at the side of the runner-bar.

2. The combination with a vine cutter having a beam, of a runner-bar below the beam and having an up-turned forward end which engages the beam, cutters at opposite sides of the runner-bar, and laterally extending guide-means at opposite sides of and carried by the up-turned forward end of the runner to engage the hills at each side of the runnerbar to aid in keeping the runner upright.

3. The combination with a vine cutter having a beam; of a runner-bar below the beam and having an upwardly-extending means at its forward end which extends up to and engages the beam to hold the latter in an elevated position, cutters at opposite sides of the runner-bar and guide bars adjustably secured for vertical and lateral adjustment at opposite sides of the upwardly extending means at the forward end of the runnerbar,said guide bars extending laterally and rearwardly and arranged to engage the opposite hills while the runner travels in the valley between the hills.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature.

GEORGE LEE MOGREADY. 

